Automatic door-opener



Patented Feb. 1, 1921,

ill/MENTOR WITNESSES WN PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES FRANCIS YOUNG, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC DOOR-OPENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Feb. 1, 1921.

Application filed August 9, 1919. Serial No. 316.287.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES FRANCIS YOUNG, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Philadelphia, in, the county of Philadelphia, andState of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved AutomaticDoor-Opener, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to automatic door openers particularly applicableto garages. An object of the invention is to provide a simple, eflicientand inexpensive contrivance which can be easily applied to existingdoors I of the swinging type.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electrically-controlledcontrivance for automatically opening doors in which means are providedso that the door cannot stall during its movement.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will morefully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in thenovel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as herein fullydescribed, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of the application, similarcharacters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a swinging door equipped with anopener embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the opening apparatus, certain parts of whichare broken away to show the details of construction;

Fig. 3 is an electric wiring diagram; and

Fig. +1 is an end elevation of the limit switch.

Referring to the drawings, 5 is a hinged door which. is provided with abracket 6 near the free edge of the door, and preferably near theupperedge. To this bracket a rod 7 is connected pivotally to extend inthe direction in which the door swings. The rod 7 projects through aslot 8 provided at one end of an arm 9, the other end of which arm isanchored to a shaft 10 which is constrained to revolve with a worm wheel11 housed in a casing 12.

The casing is supported by a platform 13 which may be anchored to thewall above the door. The platform 13 is also connected to the casing 12by braces 14 which increase the rigidity of the structure formed by theplatform with the casing. The worm wheel 11 is in mesh with a worm 15revolubly mounted within the casing 12 and with which a gear 16 isconstrained to revolve. The gear 16 meshes with a pinion 17 driven froma suitable electric motor 18.

The rod 7 carries a pair of washers 19 disposed to each side of the arm9 and which are maintained against the rod by springs 20. The tension ofthe springs may be varied by a member 21 threaded on the rod 7. The rod7 with the washer and springs thereon constitute a drag link, thesprings taking up the initial or final strain caused by the opening orclosing of the door respectively. The shaft 10 also carries acrank 22 towhich one end of a rod 23 is connected. The other end of said rod passesthrough a knuckle 24 pivotally mounted onthe top of an insulatingplate25 which unites the ends of arms 26, the other ends of which arms arepivotally mounted on an insulating base 27.

To each of the arms 26 contact carriers 28 are pivotally connected attheir lower ends to extend to the opposite sides of each arm. Thecontact carriers on the same arm are connected by a common pivot 29 tothe corresponding arm 26. They are prevented from swinging downwardly ontheir pivot by springs 30 which maintain said contact carriers inpredetermined relation and prevent their free ends not only fromseparating but from moving toward one another. Each cooperating pair ofcontact carriers form, therefore, a V on the corresponding arm 26 inwhich the branches are movable but resisted by the yielding members 32which have a loop concentric with the corresponding pivot 29. Each ofthe contact carriers is provided with a rolling contact 31 at the freeend. For each of said contacts there is a corresponding stationarycontact 32 secured to the base 27.

The rollers 31 are thrown into engagement with the stationary contactsby means of springs 33 which extend from the plate 25 to the base 27,which is necessarily below the pivots of the arms 26. In consequence,the arms 26 will swing to the right or left as soon as said arms passthe alinement of the pivots thereof with the points of connection of thesprings 33 between the plate and the base. I

The movement of the arm being controlled by the movement of the rod 23,the

same will be dragged as the rod moves, and when it is moved into centralposition, or the position which brings the pivots of the arm intoalinement with the connection of the springs, the springs 30 will bringthe rollers 31 on both sides in contact with the correspondingstationary contacts 32. But when the arm is in central position the doorwill be more than half open or more than half closed, consequently. whenthe door is in such position there is contact on both sides of thecontrolling switch 34 (see diagram). Therefore, the door cannot bestalled in the intermediate position.

To insure this movement of the arms, stop collars 35 are provided on therod 23 which will move the arms past the alining position as the doorreaches the end of its movement in opening or closing the door. Assumingthat the door is closed and that the supply switch 36 is closed, acurrent will be turned on (see diagram); then the contact 31 will be inengagement with the contact 32 to the left of said contact 31 and,therefore, the control switch 34 can be thrown to the right and have itscontacts a, b and c in engagement with the contacts 32. This will causethe current to flow to the motor 18, thereby revolving the shaft 10 andtherewith the .arm 9 and the crank 22. The arm 9 will he, therefore,first thrown against the spring 20, and the outside of the arm forcesthe door to swing on its hinges.

The current will continue to flow through the motor until the contacts31 to the left are in engagement with the stationary contacts 32 to theleft. The contacts 31 and 32 to the left will remain in engagement untilthe stop collar 35 engages the yoke 24 and drags the arms 26 past thealinement so that the springs 33 can snap the contact carriers 28 to theright, thereby breaking the contacts to the left; but at the time thearms are dragged past the alinement by means of the corresponding stopcollar 35, the door is substantially open. By leaving the switch 34closed in that position, the current will not flow through the m0- tor,as the same has been automatically out off from the switch formed by thecontacts 31 and 32. To close the door, the switch 34 must be moved sothat the contacts a, b andc are in communication with the contacts 32which are connected to the contacts 32 to the right of contacts 31. Theoperation will then take place in the manner as described.

The door 5 in both phases of its movements. that is, in either openingor closing is controlled by the switch 27 which limits the travel of thedoor by cutting off the flow of current to the motor when sufiicientmotion has been imparted to the door to enable it to complete one phaseof its movement. The switch 27 in addition to functioning as a limitswitch functions as a reversing switch so that it not only cuts off thecurrent to the motor but reverses the arrangement whereby when theswitch 34 is thrown to the opposite position the current through thearmature will be reversed, and consequently the door will be operatedthrough the opposite phase of its movement. The switch 34 functions onlyto start or initiate the operation of the device in the particularphase, the completion of the operation and rearrangement of the partspreparatory to the opposite operation being entirely taken care of bythe switch 27.

Referring to Fig. 3, it will be seen that when the limit switch 27 is inleft-hand position, that is with the contacts 31 engaged with theleft-hand contacts 32 and the switch 34 is in right-hand position, thatis with the contacts a, b, c in engagement with the contacts 32, thecurrent flows from the positive pole of the supply switch 36 to L on thestarting box, from on the starting box to A on the motor, thence throughthe right-hand brush wire to the lower contact 31 and lower right-handcon tact 32 of the switch 27, thence to intermediate contact 32 andcontact I) of the switch 24 to the left brush, through the armature outthrough the right brush, thence to contact c and lower contact 32 onswitch 34, to intermediate left-hand contact 32 and intermediate contact31 on switch 27, through ,,tl1e left-hand brush wire and L on motor andback to the negative pole of the supply switch 36. The current continuesto flow in this path until the rod 23 trips the switch 27 and breaks theengagement of contacts 31 and left-hand contacts 32. The contacts 31then engage the right-hand contacts 32 but as the switch 34 is inright-hand position the circuit remains broken. \Vhen it is desired toreverse the operation, the switch 34 is thrown from right-hand tolefthand position to engage the contacts a, b, 0 with the contacts 32",it being remembered that at this time the contacts 31 are engaged withthe right-hand contacts 32. The current then flows from the positivepole of the supply switch 36, to A on the starting box, to A on themotor, through the right-hand brush wire to the lower contact 31 andlower right-hand contact 32' of switch 27 to the lower contact 32 andcontact '0 of switch 34 to the right brush, through the armature outthrough the left brush back to contact I) and intermediate contact 32,thence to intermediate right-hand contact 32 and intermediate contact 31on switch 27 through the left-hand brush wire and L on the motor back tothe negative pole of the supply switch 36. This condition obtains untilthe door has completed this phase of its operative movement when theswitch 27 is again operated automatically to cut off the current andrearrange the parts for the repetition of the action herein abovedescribed.

I claim: I

l. A door opener comprising an arm, means connecting the door to thearm, a motor, motion-transmission means from the motor to the arm forswinging the same, means controlling the direction of rotation of themotor, a crank revoluble from the motor, a connecting rod from the crankto the means for controlling the direction of rotation of the motor,circuits connecting said motor to the means for controlling thedirection of the motor, and a switch for controlling the circuits.

2. In a door operator, an arm connected to the door, a motor, motiontransmission means from the motor, to the arm for swinging the door,circuits for the motor, a switch for reversing the direction of rotationof the motor in said circuit, spring means adapted to move the switchpast neutral position to either side of said neutral position, and meansactuated by the motor tomove said switch past the neutral position.

3. A door opener comprising an arm, means connecting the door to thearm, a motor, motion-transmission means from the motor to the arm forswinging the arm, means for reversing the motor, a crank operable by themotiontransmission means, "a rod connecting the reversing means and thecrank, means on said rod to leave to said rod an initial displacementbefore operating said reversing means, circuits connecting the motor tothe reversing means, and manuallyoperable means for controlling thecircuits.

4. In a door operator, a stationary platform, a motor mounted upon saidplatform, a bearing mounted upon said platform, a shaft journaled insaid bearing and having its ends projecting beyond said bearing, an

arm having one end connected to one of the extendedends of said shaftand having its other end connected to the door, a Worm drive forcommunicating motion to said shaft from said motor, a crank carried bythe other projecting end of said shaft, a rod carried by said crank, andmeans for reversing the direction of rotation of the motor actuated bysaid rod, all as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a door opener, a motor, a circuit for said motor, an arm,motion-transmission means from the arm to the motor for swinging thearm, a switch in said circuit and having movable arms, a rod connectingsaid arms to the motion-transmission means, means on said rod to leaveto said rod an initial displacement before operating the arms, contactcarriers pivotally mounted on said arms of the switch, a spring normallymaintaining said contact carriers in predetermined position, contacts onsaid carriers, stationary contacts adapted to be engaged by the contactson the carriers, and yielding means associated with the arms of theswitch to prevent the arms of the switch from remaining in neutralposition.

6. A door opener comprising an arm, yielding meansconnecting the door tothe arm, a motor, a worm drive interposed between the motorand the armfor swinging said arm, a crank revoluble by the worm drive, circuits forthe motor, a switch for reversing the direction of rotation of the motorin the said circuit, yielding means adapted to move the switch past thenormal position to either side of said normal position, a rod connectingsaid switch to the crank to move said switch past the neutral position,and means on said rod leaving to said rod an initial displacementrelative to the switch.

CHARLES FRANCIS YOUNG.

